


Lost and Found

by Aishuu



Category: Saiunkoku Monogatari
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-20
Updated: 2015-06-20
Packaged: 2018-04-05 08:11:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4172418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aishuu/pseuds/Aishuu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even in his sleep, Kouyuu seemed unable to keep from wandering.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lost and Found

Even in his sleep, Kouyuu seemed unable to keep from wandering – or at least his limbs were.

Shuuei had been delighted the first time he'd been able to convince the younger man to actually spend the whole night with him. That delight had been tempered within hours, though, as he realized that Kouyuu was a restless sleeper. At first he'd thought the jabs were intentionally, since Kouyuu's hands had a way of landing in some truly vulnerable areas, but he'd gradually come to accept that Kouyuu was lost no matter where he was and it wasn't a conscious decision.

Kouyuu preferred to lash out with his words, anyway.

It was late, and they'd just returned from the Brown Province. After handing their horses over to the palace stables, they'd stumbled back to Shuuei's room. They'd been traveling for weeks and hadn't had any chance for intimacy, since they'd been accompanied by the emperor. While Shuuei liked Ryuuki, he'd found the emperor's presence sometimes unwelcome. He would have preferred to make the journey with just Kouyuu, but Shuuei was practical enough to realize such a thing would never happen. 

To his disgust, Kouyuu had fallen asleep immediately. Shuuei tried not to feel annoyed, since Kouyuu had pressed his limits on the journey. Kouyuu was a scholar, not a fighter, and while he was in good enough physical condition, most of his work was done while sitting at a desk. It didn't prepare him for long hours in the saddle, or the hardships of the road.

Shuuei watched as the expressions on Kouyuu's face flickered as he dreamed. He'd never been able to determine the exact cause of Kouyuu's nightmares. It was true he'd lived on the street for several years – a very poorly kept secret in the court – and there were certainly enough frightening possibilities that Shuuei didn't like to consider. Kouyuu had been a pretty child, and there were many that would prey on his type.

But Kouyuu had been too strong for that. While Kouyuu never talked of his time on the streets, the few remarks that Reishin had dropped had indicated the boy had found other ways to scratch out a living on the edge of society. It was an impressive achievement, the first sign of a brilliant mind hidden within the dross of humanity.

Another twitch of Kouyuu's legs had Shuuei wondering if it would be best to wake him. It'd been a while since Kouyuu had one of these dreams, he thought. Kouyuu tended to get the nightmares after a stressful situation. It didn't make sense to Shuuei why Kouyuu's mind only chose to break down _after_ a crisis had passed. That was one of the primary differences between them; Shuuei was always planning for the future, which Kouyuu tended to live in the past-laden _now_. He watched Kouyuu's lips start to move, muttering out unintelligible phrases.

Shuuei sighed, sliding a bit closer. This could go one of two ways; either he could sooth Kouyuu back to sleep, or Kouyuu would wake up screaming. While he very much wanted to have an awake Kouyuu interested in relieving a bit of his pent-up libido, the younger man probably needed his rest more. Shuuei's better nature – the one he would firmly deny existing if anyone were bold enough to ask - got the better of him. What was one more day, when compared with the deprivation of weeks? 

He put his hand on Kouyuu's stomach, rubbing it in soothing circles. He watched as some of the tension relaxed from Kouyuu's shoulders, but then Kouyuu's fists clenched and he lashed out, catching Shuuei in the chin. Shuuei hadn't been expecting the movement, and went reeling backwards, actually falling off the edge of the bed onto the floor.

"Reishin-sama!" Kouyuu gasped, and his body went rigid and his eyes flew wide open. He was panting like he'd just run a long race, like he couldn't catch his breath. Shuuei rubbed his chin, wondering if it would bruise in the morning. Wouldn't that be fun to explain to Ryuuki, since the emperor would definitely notice and ask.

Kouyuu took a deep breath, struggling to regain control. His eyes fell on his lover, who was sprawled on the floor. "What are you doing there?" Kouyuu asked with a raspy voice, his expression confused, curious and a bit concerned. 

"I got lost," Shuuei replied with a teasing smile as he lifted the covers and slid back to bed. Even if it did bruise, he decided it would be worth it because Kouyuu was fully awake now.

Kouyuu glared at him, sensitive to the implied jab about his sense of direction. "Well, maybe you should stay lost!" he snapped irritably, flopping onto his side in a clear gesture of rejection.

Shuuei sighed, knowing Kouyuu's temper was a cover for his embarrassment. Kouyuu was smart enough to figure out exactly how Shuuei had wound up on the floor. However, Kouyuu had never learned to apologize, and while he might regret the inadvertent injury he'd dealt, he couldn't say he was sorry.

"Was it a bad dream?" Shuuei asked softly, wrapping his arms around Kouyuu's waist and burying his nose in his hair affectionately.

"I don't remember," Kouyuu answered brusquely.

"You called out his name," Shuuei said.

Kouyuu inhaled a sudden gasp. There was no need to say who _he_ was. Between them there was always only one other person, a man who was more important than life itself to Kouyuu. Shuuei wondered, sometimes, if Kouyuu had to choose between them, what decision he'd make.

Kouyuu shifted, and Shuuei was surprised to find them suddenly face-to-face. Kouyuu raised his hands to Shuuei's cheeks, pulling him in for a gentle kiss. Shuuei, surprised, relaxed and enjoyed the contact, before Kouyuu pulled back. "If you were in it, it wouldn't have been a nightmare," Kouyuu said.

It was as close to an apology as Shuuei was going to get. He reflected for a moment that there was something seriously wrong with Kouyuu and Reishin's relationship, but decided now wasn't the time to point that out. Kouyuu was awake, and there was nothing preying on Shuuei's atrophied conscience now. With a wicked smile on his face, Shuuei sent his hands wandering over Kouyuu's body – and finding _exactly_ what he was looking for.


End file.
